Trump’s First Instinct on Impeachment: Going Back to His Racist Roots

News of an impeachment inquiry prompted the president to issue an ‘us vs. them’ response — and the ‘them’ was highly racialized

Activists ask for impeachment of U.S. President Donald Trump as they gather on Capitol Hill on September 23, 2019, in Washington, D.C. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

The impeachment saga hit a new crescendo on Tuesday, and with it, Donald Trump’s racism reached a new low.

As soon as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that an impeachment inquiry would be opened against President Donald Trump, the president responded on Twitter with an “us vs. them” anti-impeachment/fundraising video. Not surprisingly, the “them” was highly racialized. While the video may be lost in the political deluge, it’s important to note that this was the commander in chief’s immediate response.

And what a response it was. See for yourself:

Eight out of the 13 Democrats featured were people of color: Rep. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Rep. Ted Lieu of California, Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rep. Maxine Waters of California, Rep. Jim…